they are pretty cool..Intonation is just fine - I'm pretty picky too. The TP has a sliding B/G saddle so that is no problem

Mine was cherry and was cool.. It buzzed by a banshee though. Those pickups are BIG single coils - sorta like a P-90 - and so LIVE, it was an issue at times. I eventually carved the bridge up and put in a Holmes PAF and was happier.

I sorta wish I never sold it BUT when I did , comparing it my other guitars , it was merely "good" so I probably would be selling again if I had it

Awesome guitars, one of my favorites. It has that vintage Gretsch-like tone without a hefty pricetag and quality issues that I've found a lot of Gretsch's have.

Fender has discontinued them, so they're very difficult to find (I found one used in tobacco sunburst and had to jump on it). I find all 3 positions are very unique and great stock (it's the only stock instrument I have). I always get a lot of positive feedback from people when I take it out. I find it kills with rhythm (with the lead stuff I prefer my '61 SG Custom). It has outlived strats and telecasters for my clean stuff. I've found the intonation to be almost virtually dead on (which for a wraparound, is unheard of) and I find it more in tune than even my '60 LP Special DC.

It's such a perfect guitar. Mine is '98, and it featured the wraparound bridge then. The last years of production (last was 2004 I think) they changed to a techtonic bridge which allowed precise intonation.

I've changed the bridge, didn't work well enough for me, the intonation was never dead on and as this is my number one recording and gigging guitar I have to have perfect intonation.

What solved the problem for me was a BadAss bridge. It works great! It's kind of pricey, cost me about 130 :s (I paid 1000  for the guitar used, it costed about 1600 :s new here in Finland when it was in production).

Anyway the BadAss bridge really did the trick. I don't know if it changed the sound, might have, but not for the worse atleast.

The Telesonic is such a great guitar, it can do it all basically. Wonderful rhythm sounds both clean and dirty and it has plenty of sustain and body in the lead department as well. I think this is the perfect marriage between a Fender (bolt on neck, neck material and construction), Gibson (scale, body wood, control layout) and Gretsch (pickups) type of guitar..

I'll try to post some new pictures of my Telesonic fitted with the badass. It's pretty well worn already and has a good share nicks and scratches and the finish is starting to chip of from where the forearm wears the body.. nice! If you can find one, get it!

That's a great price. I've been thinking of getting one for a while, but I'm all tapped out right about now, or I'd hop on that one. I'd say go for it -- it seems like they are more likely to go for ~700USD.

has anyone every played the telesonic? i'm really curious what this guitar sounds/plays like. how is the intonation with that bridge? TIA

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Well since you asked, I have played that Tele-Sonic. And I love it. it has a really great range of sounds. It's a weird formula for a guitar but in reality you can carve quite the swath with it. I got a second one as a spare.

Intonation is not a big problem. The bridge has that thing so if you use a wound or non-wound G string you can be happy either way. I don't like old school bar bridges, (my old Special has a badass replacement which was added value for me over 'vintage') and I can tolerate the PRS bar bridges, but just. The Tele-Sonic doesn't intonate to high precision, but it's gets pretty close.

400 $ is a steal, I think they were priced the same as the American Vintage series when they were offered. I paid 1000 &#8364;:s used, but this is Finland, Europe, and guitars are much more expensive here than in the USA.

adelphi710, I absolutely love my Telesonic with my Bad Cat Cub II, just played the thing at rehearsals today..

rivertoasters, my Telesonic definately needed it, it can be an individual thing.. couldnt get the intonation dead on, nor did a very good guitar tech.
The badass works really well and has a great sustain and sound, though it's pricey. Anyway I think it really was worth it. The intonation was quite ok
with the wraparound but not good enough with this particular axe.

rivertoasters, my Telesonic definately needed it, it can be an individual thing.. couldnt get the intonation dead on, nor did a very good guitar tech.
The badass works really well and has a great sustain and sound, though it's pricey. Anyway I think it really was worth it.

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I don't doubt it - my old Les Paul Special has a badass and I agree it's a fine bridge. If there was one on a Tele-Sonic I would expect it to work great. I'm just fine with the original Wilkinsons on mine.

The badass (or a badass copy, I went for the real thing although could have gotten a copy for less than half the price) bridge seems to be a really popular choice for Les Paul Specials and Juniors (man do I GAS for one right now!).

I wonder how the Techtonic bridge on later Telesonics worked. I remember reading some bad comments on it, but cant be sure though..

Could agree more. Actually I just said to my band buddy that I'd "gladly" pay 3000 &#8364;:s for that guitar (why wouldnt I pay that much for a great great Fender that can do so many things when you have to pay that much for most Gibsons), it's that good and I'm extemely happy to own it. Actually I'm pretty paranoid about it, 'cause our band lost nearly all of our equipment in a fire 1½ years ago, so now I wont let the guitar out of my sight, 'cause the insurance money wouldnt help me at all..

I'm pretty paranoid about it, 'cause our band lost nearly all of our equipment in a fire 1½ years ago, so now I wont let the guitar out of my sight, 'cause the insurance money wouldnt help me at all..

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I can relate.

That's why I have a second one as a spare.

What I really don't get is why more people don't get what is going on with these DeArmond 2K pickups. I have a Gretsch Electromatic which has them on it. That guitar is really sweet, too, aside from it's weight. But the Tele-Sonic is a killer.

I have the sister guitar to this the Stratosonic, which I had planned on selling. Mine has a different bridge. The bridge intonation can be adjusted even though it looks like a simple LP JR. bridge from a distance, more or less a tunematic and stop bar wrapped up into a small little package. http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/gtr_addict/fenderstratosonicfront.jpg
You might want to mention these guitars have tone chambers.

I love my Telesonic (mines a '98 or '99 I believe), and I mostly play humbucker guitars. It's very versatile, can do rock, hard rock, country, etc. Nice woody, airy sort of warmth with a little Tele snap and grit, great easy playing neck. But I could never get mine to intonate correctly and it seemed to lack some sustain. So, like ToneRanger I swapped the bridge on mine but I bought a TonePros Wraparound, fully adjustable bridge with individual saddles for each string. What a HUGE difference it made, this guitar plays like a dream now. Intonation's great, better sustain and it just sounds more lively. Mine's a keeper for sure: